Marketing and sales videos - In September 2007, sales & marketing executives from across the automation industry gathered in Chicago (US) for two and a half days days of presentations, roundtables, and 1:1's about how to meet the challenges of finding and closing customer accounts in the 21st century. View videos from two of the sessions, more will be available shortly. MARKETING OUTSIDE OURSELVES: How to Reach the C-level Customer and Why We Should By Peter G. Martin, Vice President, Performance Measurement and Management, Invensys Production Management HOW END-USERS WANT TO BE SOLD TO By Jerry Gipson, Directory of the Engineering Solutions Technology Center, The Dow Chemical Company

New specification helps to ensure robust and reliable fieldbus physical layer performance - The Fieldbus Foundation has announced the release of a FOUNDATION(tm) fieldbus H1 cable test specification. The new specification includes test cases providing greater assurance to automation end users that their wiring systems are suitable for fieldbus system operation.

Broad suite of accessories and cordsets provide flexible solutions for the automation industry - ERNI Electronics is expanding its M8/M12 family of products with a comprehensive selection of accessories, ranging from ready-assembled cordsets, distributors and adapters to components using quick-connect terminal technology. They have added cable systems for M8/M12 round connectors to its range of PCB products. These are produced in a variety of modules, pin configurations, cable lengths and cable qualities for the most cost-effective and optimised automation solutions.

Inductive conductivity transmitter with 3A approval for hygienic applications - With the ISL 05x, Baumer's product segment Process Instrumentation offers an inductive conductivity sensor with high accuracy. The compact design in all stainless steel enables installation in pipes from DN40 and upwards. Due to the 3A-approved process connection, the device is suitable for hygienic applications.

4th edition of classic now available - Measurement and Control Basics has provided thousands of students, technicians, sales people, and others with a practical introduction to the technologies, systems, and strategies involved in industrial process control.
Measurement and Control Basics-4th Edition; Thomas A. Hughes; ISBN: 978-1-55617-916-7

Industrial waterproof connector - New industrial M12 connectors from Omron feature a simple, secure, 'smart click' locking mechanism, yet retain full compatibility with the traditional screw lock styles. M12 connectors are widely used throughout industrial and process control installations, in particular to connect sensor I/O, and for field bus and industrial Ethernet installations. Their new XS5W series of M12 connectors lock on just 1/8th of a turn, the industry's shortest rotation, and feature a positive click to confirm secure locking.

Global distribution agreement - Emerson Network Power and Avnet Electronics Marketing have signed a global distribution partnership. Under the terms of the new agreement, Avnet will distribute - on a global basis - the full line of standard and modified standard ac-dc and dc-dc power supplies produced by the Embedded Power business of Emerson Network Power, which encompasses the Astec and Artesyn branded products.

Intelligent 8-axis motion controller provides 'one-box' solution for machine builders - Baldor launched a new version of a popular 'all-in-one' motion automation solution supplied in a rugged and ready-to-use packaged form at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2007 in Nürnberg (D). Offering control for servo and stepper motor axes, together with onboard I/O and fieldbus connectivity, the new NextMove-ESB2 expands servo control capability from three to four axes. This could be employed to provide a complete X-Y-Z and Alpha axis positioning control solution, for example. Combined with control for 4 stepper motor axes, and I/O for material handling and general machine control functions, NextMove-ESB2 module offers an economic standalone solution that can be used for a wide range of machinery applications.

New debugger - Ashling Microsystems announces the availability of the Pathfinder Debugger, AsIDE, and emulation tools for the new PIC32 family of 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) from Microchip Technology, a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors. From the high-end processing power of the Ashling emulation system to its sophisticated development environment fine-tuned for the PIC32 MCU architecture, users experience the fast, low-risk product development process required for embedded designs.

Field-proven verification-as-services solution for embedded development - S2 Technologies (S2) has announced Verification-as-Services (VaS), the first comprehensive solution for organizations developing software for real-time or embedded applications. The VaS solution enables software development teams to use their own processes while S2's underlying quality platform creates a shared framework that can be used across all stages of the release cycle.

Resistive bridge sensor signal conditioning IC optimised for &mhu;controller-based sensor systems - ZMD AG has announced a new addition to its family of resistive bridge (RBic-Lite™) signal conditioner ICs. Developed for correction of resistive bridge sensors, the ZMD31014 combines high accuracy amplification with analog-to-digital conversion of a differential input. The feature-rich CMOS device is ideal for all-types of microcontroller-based portable equipment, such as white goods, wireless pressure transmitters, medical infusion pumps, wearable blood-pressure meters and temperature measurement equipment.

White paper highlights the potential result of tube fitting decisions made on cost alone - Globalisation has led to significant new competition from low-cost producers in high volume product categories that can be copied easily. Industrial tube fittings are no exception. The leading tube fitting designer and manufacturer Parker Instrumentation has published a white paper that details tests made on products from an example 'low cost producer.'

Poles choose CC-Link to ensure global competitiveness - Three of Poland's most prestigious universities have installed over Euro25,000 worth of CC-Link open fieldbus automation as part of their drive to ensure that the next generation of engineers are fully conversant with state of the art manufacturing technology. Much of the equipment was donated by members of the CLPA (CC-Link Partners Association). It will be used by both undergraduates on general engineering and production courses and postgraduates studying robotics and automation in greater detail. The recipient universities were Warsaw, Gliwice and Krakow.

New "Measuring Systems for Vehicle Development" Handbook - A new handbook from Kistler Instruments describes the company's wide range of measuring wheels, measuring hubs, crash barriers and sensors used in the design and development vehicles from luxury cars to heavy goods vehicles. Selection of the most appropriate instrumentation is described in detail and is supported by selection tables to simplify the matching of instrumentation to a wide variety of applications.

Conference for Barcelona - CAN in Automation (CiA) GmbH stages the 12th international CAN Conference (iCC) on March 12 and 13, 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. The subsidiary of the CAN in Automation (CiA) international users' and manufacturers' group is currently accepting registrations for the event.

Specialist distributor award - Northern Connectors (Merseyside GB) has won the Harting Ltd. Electronic Specialist Distributor of the Year award for 2007. The award is made on merit, and is based on sales growth, design-in activity and overall performance.

Full portfolio of switches and infrastructure products introduced - To effectively manage real-time control and information flow throughout the manufacturing and IT enterprise, Rockwell Automation has introduced a full portfolio of industrial Ethernet switches and media, featuring a line of managed switches integrated with Cisco technology.

New biodiesel quality analyser - Aspectrics further extended its biodiesel portfolio offering with the launch of the new Aspectrics Biodiesel Quality analyser 1000 (BQA 1000). Designed to provide fast and efficient results, the new analyser incorporates the revolutionary Aspectrics EP-NIR technology, a robust sampling interface and an easy to use graphical user interface.

New application guide and sizing tool for flying shear and feed-to-length cutting systems - Gefran UK Limited have released a new motion control application guide for flying shear and feed-to-length cutting systems based on its SIEIDrives XVy-EV family of high performance servo drives. It includes data sheets and detailed instruction manuals that describe all the controls and parameters available for users to configure their own dynamic web processing applications.

A merchant sent an order to a distributor for a large amount of goods totaling a great deal of money. The distributor, noting that the previous bill hadn't been paid, told the collections manager to check it. The collections manager left a voice-mail for them saying, "We can't ship your new order until you pay for the last one." The next day the collections manager received a collect phone call, "Please cancel the order. We can't wait that long."

New total sulphur analyser providing accurate sulphur analyses - Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched a new Total sulphur (TS) analyser, the Thermo Scientific TS 4000. Further expanding on the TS 3000 routine analyser, the TS 4000 incorporates the patent pending Thermo Scientific True Total sulphur (TTS) technology, removing nitrogen interference thus providing true total sulphur results. This novel TTS technology is capable of determining trace level sulphur in Cetane Improver, offering high productivity performance allowing for accurate and precise analysis of sulphur levels in automotive fuels. The unique versatility, robustness and sensitivity of the analyser make it ideally suited for a range of refinery and petroleum sample types with a high nitrogen concentration.

FDA approval for Asian manufacturing facility - Contract manufacturer, Plexus Corp has announced that one of its Penang, Malaysia facilities has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through its premarket approval (PMA) supplement evaluation process, to manufacture class III finished devices on behalf of a large tier- one medical OEMs. This approval comes following an extensive on-site audit in Penang by the FDA.

Slim industrial Ethernet modem - SixNet has introduced its newest member of the Slim Line Family, the Remote Access Switch (SL-5MS-MDM). This product brings together an Industrial Telephone Modem with an Industrial 5-port Managed Ethernet Switch. This combination enables integrators and plant engineers to dial into the plant from remote locations saving a trip and providing quicker service at the same time.

Power plant goes wireless three ways - So, while most process control users gradually test wireless for limited monitoring in non-critical corners of their plants, a few brave engineers blanket their facilities with multiple wireless protocols, and find more and more places and applications to use wireless and gain its advantages. (ControlDesign.com)

Alignment to enable manufacturing systems interoperability for chemical industry - The Chemical Industry Data Exchange (CIDX®), and ISA, the Instrument, Systems, and Automation society, have announced an agreement that will formalize the sharing of information and benefits between both memberships.

Global Distribution Pact signed - Digi-Key Corporation and Bulgin Components have just signed a worldwide distribution agreement. Digi-Key is one of the fastest growing distributors of electronic components in the world, shipping products to more than 140 countries from its facility in Thief River Falls, (Minn US), while Bulgin Components specializes in the manufacture of mains and waterproof connectors

New office in Tokyo - GreenPeak Technologies, the battery-free communication technology for wireless sense and control applications company, has announced that it has established a sales office in Tokyo,(J). Yoshinori Furuno will head the new office as Director of Business Development.

Bumper issue of cool! - Just out is the November issue of ICE News. 'This is a "bumper edition" chock full of great links to some super ICE resources from all over the world along with a new "ICESafe"Section on Safety Instrumented Systems ....it is certainly "cool."' Ultimately they may increase the frequency of editions to bi-monthly in an effort to slim it down, it will however give all readers plenty of reading matter before the next issue which is scheduled for February.

New ultrasonic level transmitter is optimised for open channel flow measurement - Emerson Process Management is offering a new version of its popular Mobrey® MSP900 ultrasonic level transmitter, optimised for use in open channel flow measurement. The new MSP900FH, which features a pre-wired remote temperature sensor, is ideal for helping water and industrial processing sites comply with MCERTS legislation.

Process control newsletter - The latest issue of Process Control Newsletter has just been despatched. This bi-weekly e-newsletter is sent out every second Tuesday to over 50,000 readers worldwide.

Educational scholorshipos announced - The 2007-2008 recipients of the James O. Gray-FF Educational Scholarship have just been announced by the the Fieldbus Foundation. The program honors the memory of James (Jim) O. Gray, a long-time leader in the Fieldbus Foundation who died in 2002. It establishes a perpetual $250,000 endowment fund providing awards to eligible students studying industrial automation.
The awardees were: Muhammad Dzahir Bin Mohamed Zain: Singapore Polytechnic, Robert Lawrence: Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), (CDN) Akira Uehara: Waseda University (JP), and Jamie Hawes: Lee College (TX US).

Maximising the process with the Eurotherm Mini8 controller - The Mini8 controller from Eurotherm makes it possible to perform PID loops outside the PLC without compromising the benefits of an integrated solution. It has four plug-in I/O slots and can cater for a variety of signals such as thermocouple and RTD inputs and relay, logic and analogue outputs.

Electromagnetic simulator cuts time to market for pioneering magnetic drive technologies - Advanced modelling capabilities in the Opera electromagnetic simulator are helping Magnomatics to bring ground-breaking magnetic power transmission innovations to market. A recent spin-out from the University of Sheffield, Magnomatics is currently working with numerous organisations on magnetic gearing and power transmission applications.
A video of a magnetic gear in action

Distributors in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia - BridgeWave Communications has announced the expansion of the company's international channel operations through agreements with distribution partners in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The increased global footprint will help BridgeWave further accelerate emerging market opportunities for high-speed, secure and reliable wireless links that offer enterprises, government entities and network operators the highest levels of network capacity and service availability.

New anti-vandal push button switches - The EAV series anti-vandal switches from Eledis, are available in 12mm, 16mm and 19mm industry standard mounting diameters with contact ratings of 2A at 48Vdc and 5A at 250Vac. Actuators can be domed, flat or raised. The EAV16-C and EAV-16G switches provide the additional option of concave buttons, raised or flat, with red, green, yellow, orange, blue or white coloured aluminium actuators available for the 16G. They are designed for 250V AC applications, ranging from a 3A, 16mm fixing version, up to 19mm switches for 5A operation with a range of contact configurations both momentary and latching.

Multi-channell connector simplifies sensor installation - Increasing use of cavity pressure and temperature to monitor and control the injection moulding process is making the installation and cabling of the sensors both difficult and prone to error, especially in multi-cavity moulds. To minimise the risk of such errors, Kistler has introduced two, miniature multi-channel connectors to group signals from either four or eight sensors, pressure or temperature, into a single cable for connection to the production monitoring system.

Network membership increases - The increase of CiA members in the last two years from 417 to 517 indicates the increasing acceptance of CAN networks in many markets and diversified application areas. The CAN in Automation (CiA) international users' and manufacturers' group supports all those interested in CAN (Controller Area Network). On top of this, the 1992-founded nonprofit group develops and updates the CANopen specifications.
These specifications comprise CANopen application protocols as well as device- and application-specific profiles. Among the old and newer areas of application are: automotive, machine control, medical technology and energy generation and many more are forseen in the future. They have just relaunched their website!

New single-turn, bushing-mount position sensor - Vishay Intertechnology has announced a new single-turn, bushing-mount position sensor in the size 09 (22.2mm) that features Hall effect technology for applications in harsh environments. The Hall effect technology of the new 351 HE gives it the ability to perform in conditions involving high frequency vibrations up to 20G and shocks up to 50G over a temperature range of -45°C to +125°C, providing a strong advantage over other technologies.

New IP to simplify FPGA development - National Instruments has announced a new suite of software and hardware intellectual property (IP) to make using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in measurement, control and signal processing applications easier. Collaborating with its worldwide network of customers, integrators and National Instruments Alliance Partners, NI is now making available the FPGA IPNet to provide an open forum for sharing LabVIEW FPGA IP and new hardware I/O modules for analogue and digital I/O, communication buses/protocols and motion control.

Claims defeated in court - Emerson Network Power has announced that its recently acquired Artesyn Technologies successfully defended the majority of a competitor's claims of patent infringement.
In a suit filed in Marshall, Texas, Power-One, Inc. alleged that Artesyn infringed 82 separate claims in four of its patents. Yesterday, a Texas jury found that only one patent was infringed involving a product that Artesyn had never sold, never offered for sale and that the market has never used. Some claims were dismissed before the trial. On others, the jury determined there was no infringement. The jury specifically determined that any infringement was not willful. If the court enters judgment on the verdict, a total of $100 in damages will be awarded to Power-One. The verdict will not have any impact on Artesyn's sales, technologies or products.

Used I&C equipment sale - Following the closure of Ireland's last sugar plant in Mallow, Co Cork, the instrumentation and control equipment on site has come on the market for sale. Don Short of Short Projects Ltd has all the details.

Walt Boyes attended Rockwell Automation's Automation Fair 2007 and these are his reports: - Automation Fair: Day 1 Automation Fair: Day 2 Automation Fair: Day 3

New digital delay / pulse generator - BNC (Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation) has announced a new platform for its growing family of Pulse & Delay Generators...the Model 575 Digital Delay / Pulse Generator. The latest product combines the properties of a pulse generator with that of a digital delay generator. The Model 575 is a multi-channel pulse generator and digital delay generator in a single bench top instrument. Two instruments can be side-by-side in a single rack mount.

Wireless white paper - The HART® Communication Foundation has released a white paper on the new WirelessHART standard entitled "Why WirelessHART? - The Right Standard at the Right Time". The white paper summarizes key aspects of Wireless HART technology, including several of the design decisions that make it the right choice for process wireless automation. The white paper is available for free download from their website.

Documents submitted - The ISA92 committee, an ISA Standards committee "Performance Requirements for Industrial Air Measurement Instrumentation Related to Health and Safety," has submitted three documents to ANSI for reaffirmation as American National Standards.
ISA-92.02.01, Part I, Performance Requirements for Carbon Monoxide Detection Instruments (50-1000 ppm Full Scale).
ISA-92.04.01, Part I, Performance Requirements for Instruments Used To Detect Oxygen-Deficient/Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres.
ISA-TR92.06.03, Feasibility of Chlorine Detection Instrument Testing.
ISA92 documents include installation, operation, and maintenance criteria for workplace ambient air measurement instrumentation.

Integrated reporting solution for industrial automation - Eurotherm is partnering with Ocean Data Systems (ODS) to supply Dream Report™ software, the first integrated reporting solution for industrial automation. This software is designed to be the simplest solution for extracting data from almost any data source. At the same time, it is capable of automatically generating reports at any location for whoever requests them and so is ideally partnered to match Eurotherm's solutions for its key vertical markets.

Wireless solution reduces wiring and termination costs between devices, machines and controllers - GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has announced the introduction of its new TranSphere Wireless communications products for automation needs. This offering includes extended range IP networking, wireless IP/Ethernet connectivity, and Ethernet and serial communications radio modem solutions. GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms is also introducing the TranSphere Wireless remote I/O for analog and discrete I/O signals.

Blazingly fast simulations to engineers and scientists - COMSOL's Multiphysics® 3.4, a major release of its industry-leading engineering and scientific software environment for modelling and simulating any physics-based system has just been announced. New multicore processor support, key to version 3.4, provides engineers and scientists unprecedented performance, solver speed, and accuracy in multiphysics simulations. In addition to applying parallel computing throughout the solution process, it introduces new fluid dynamic solver methods for simulating very large problems in chemical engineering, heat transfer, or microfluidics applications and sees significant enhancements throughout its suite of discipline-specific modules for such specialized simulations as chemical engineering, RF, reaction engineering, and structural mechanics.

Bundle features tightly integrated software and hardware to simplify the design of embedded devices - National Instruments and QNX Software Systems have announced an OEM evaluation bundle of software and hardware that reduces the barrier to entry for engineers and scientists using graphical system design to create embedded devices that require measurement-quality analogue I/O. The new bundle features a low-cost USB data acquisition device from NI, a single-board computer and drivers as well as evaluation versions of the QNX® Momentics® development suite and the NI LabVIEW Microprocessor SDK (Software Development Kit). Using the bundle, engineers and scientists can quickly incorporate the market's leading data acquisition hardware into their embedded designs.

Tiny low-cost rail-to-rail ammplifiers deliver speed & precision - Linear Technology Corporation has introduced the LTC6087 and the LTC6088, low cost dual and quad amplifiers, which combine speed, precision and low power in a tiny DFN package. Featuring rail-to-rail input and output stages, these amplifiers achieve 750uV (max) offset voltage, 14MHz GBW and 1pA bias current, while consuming only 1.25mA (max) per amplifier. The LTC6087 and LTC6088 offer 93dB (min) PSRR, and the large signal voltage gain of 136dB ensures gain linearity. These amplifiers also maintain a low frequency noise of just 5.8uVp-p.

Big stand at big show - The CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) has taken its biggest ever exhibition stand at this year's SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2007 show, Nüremberg 27-29 November, to showcase the benefits of open communications for industrial control systems. Star of the show will be the first European presentation of CC-Link IE, a deterministic 1Gbps Industrial Ethernet version running on an optical fibre network, and scheduled for full launch in early 2008

Industry veteran as Director of European Sales - Plexus UK has announced that Frazer Berry has joined the company as director of European sales. Berry will play a key role in their growth plans for the industrial, wireless and wireline sectors throughout Europe.

97% efficient, buck-boost DC/DC µmodule regulator - Linear Technology Corporation has introduced latest device in its family of DC/DC uModule™ regulator systems that can regulate an output voltage from a variable input voltage greater than, less than or equal to the output voltage. The LTM4607 is designed for higher voltage systems and operates from 4.5VIN to 36VIN, regulates an output voltage from 0.8V to 24V, and delivers output power up to 190W.

Asia Pacific chapter formed - WINA (the Wireless Industrial Networking Alliance), is founding a chapter outside North America. The chapter, based in Singapore, will serve the Asia Pacific region and is the first chapter outside of North America for the organisation.

EU Commission to postpone and amend electromagnetic fields legislation to protect MRI - The European Commission has proposed to postpone for four years - until 30 April 2012 - the deadline for introducing legislation on workers' exposure to electromagnetic fields, which could have affected the use of technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This will allow enough time to prepare a substantive amendment to the Directive in order to take account of recent research findings on the possible impact of the exposure limits on MRI.

New development and testing tools - The HART Communication Foundation (HCF) announces the release of Version 3.1 of the HART Device Description Integrated Development Environment (DD-IDE). The new DD-IDE Version 3.1 supports the HART enhanced Device Description Language (DDL) Specification and the development of DDs for WirelessHART™. The HCF DD-IDE tool suite is a comprehensive set of integrated software tools for efficient development, testing and maintenance of enhanced HART Device Descriptions.

Industrial connector module has current rating of 70 A - A new insert module with a current rating of 70 A has been added to the Han-Modular(r) range of industrial connectors from Harting.

Industrial temperature measurement guides - Identifying the correct temperature sensor for different industrial applications has been simplified by Ametek Calibration Instruments with the publication of a single page temperature sensor guide on its website. This unique selection system accommodates several million sensor types, readily guiding the user to the sensor best suited to the application.

New Field Metrology Wells provide maximum speed and portability for the industrial environment - Fluke - Hart Scientific has introduced the 9140 series Field Metrology Wells designed for optimum performance and functionality over the range of -25°C to +660°C. Unlike traditional field dry-wells, the new Field Metrology Wells maximise speed and portability without compromising key metrology performance criteria such as stability to +/-0.01°C, radial uniformity to +/-0.01°C, axial uniformity at 40mm to +/-0.04°C, loading to +/-0.006°C, and hysteresis to +/-0.015°C. The units weigh about 7.3 kg and will reach 660°C in less than 15 minutes.

LED It Be! - The introduction of the light bulb in the 19th Century might have excited just as much attention then as the application of high brightness white LED technologies to lighting systems today. Besides the much better illumination efficiency, which will lead to considerable energy savings and reduction of greenhouse gasses, it has several additional technical advantages over the light bulb. However, to operate them an adaptor or driver is required to match it to commonly available power supplies. For AC supplies, there are already several products available on the market and now for DC supplies Recom has recently developed a driver that ideally matches the needs of this new illumination technology.

Succesful show in India - analytica Anacon India 2007 closed its gates in Hyderabad on November 2 with some outstanding results: More than 3,000 decision-makers and users, especially from Indian laboratories, came to the two halls at the modern Hitex Center to gather information about the latest equipment, applications and products in the sectors for instrumental analysis, laboratory technology and biotechnology. That is a 17-percent increase over last year.
The 142 exhibitors from 14 countries -an increase of nearly ten percent - gave the fair top marks for its choice of location, for the trade-fair center and for the quality of the visitors.

Chemical analysis announced for tabletop microscope - The latest development for the highly successful TM-1000 Tabletop Microscope from Hitachi is the addition of chemical microanalysis by EDX, to create an even more powerful investigation technique. The SEM-like capabilities of the TM-1000, such as higher resolution and larger depth of field are now complemented by EDX chemical microanalysis in a cost effective instrument which is as easy to use as a digital camera.

Worldwide distribution agreement - Digi-Key Corporation and Enfis, a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of LED arrays and smart light engines, announced today the signing of a global distribution agreement.

High-performance, multicore-based, server-class controllers - National Instruments has announced the release of the NI 8352 and NI 8353 high-performance, multicore-based, server-class controllers for use in PXI or PXI Express systems. The NI 8352 and NI 8353 rack-mount controllers can be bundled with the appropriate MXI-Express or MXI-4 remote controllers for remote control of PXI or PXI Express chassis. The controllers offer high computing performance and make it easy to achieve high sustainable I/O bandwidth of up to 832 MB/s when bundled with a MXI-Express kit.

New high performance JTAG debug probe - Ashling Microsystems has launched a new high performance JTAG Debug Probe. Their Opella-XD JTAG Debug Probe provides an ultra-high-speed interface thus accelerating the entire embedded-hardware debug process including code download, flash programming and debugging. Opella-XD uses high-speed USB2.0 with JTAG clock rates up to 100MHz.

Single/dual/quad/octal precision voltage monitors guaranteed to +125°C - Linear Technology has introduced a family of single, dual, quad, and octal voltage monitors that guarantee operation across -40°C to +125°C. The LTC2910, LTC2912, LTC2913 and LTC2914 all feature a threshold accuracy of +/-1.5% over the automotive temperature range, allowing them to accurately monitor single channel point-of-load or multi-channel applications. These voltage monitors are all offered in tiny leaded and leadless packages and draw very little quiescent current.

Student edition of program - National Instruments has announced the availability of the LabVIEW 8.5 Student Edition, the latest version of the graphical system design software that gives students a flexible, hands-on environment to design, prototype and deploy engineering and science concepts into real-world applications. The student edition offers all the features of the popular LabVIEW graphical development platform including multicore processing and hybrid programming, providing students with software that facilitates project-based learning, leverages the latest industry performance standards and gives more programming options for creating applications and engineering algorithms.

When it rains... - A large number of sewage systems have inadequate capacity to transport those amounts of water which prolonged rain produces. When the water level in the pipes rises above a certain level, basements and other low placed localities are flooded. The result is - as most will know about - damages, mess and pollution.

Record numbers attend user meeting - The 2007 Emerson Global Users Exchange drew a record attendance of 2,432 process and manufacturing professionals from 52 countries worldwide. This year's conference, held in September in Grapevine (TX, USA), under the theme, Engineering Revolution - Are You Ready?, celebrated that engineers are once again in demand around the world as leaders in the technology revolution.
Plans are currently underway for the 2008 Emerson Global Users Exchange Conference to be held from September 29-October 3, 2008 in Washington, (DC USA)

Ready-to-use HMI platform allows industrial vehicle instrumentation system builders to create application-specific engine gauges in hours - Industrial vehicle builders have a new resource to help them get to market more rapidly. CANtronik is able to provide application-specific engine gauges and instrumentation for diesel powered equipment in just hours if required, thanks to its range of displays and specialist software tools and development services.

Distributor of the year! - Digi-Key Corporation was recently named Distributor of the Year in the Passive Components Product Portfolio and Optoelectronics Delivery Service categories by Elektronik, a leading magazine for design engineers and technical management in Germany. Distributors of the year were selected by readers of the magazine and and its website.

Bus product guide published - CAN in Automation (CiA) has published the CAN Product Guide 2007. The online catalog specialises in CAN products (Controller Area Network) that do not belong in the CANopen Product Guide or the J1939 Product Guide. Listed are CAN-Layer-2 products, DeviceNet devices, and devices with manufacturer-specific CAN software.

New president appointed - Invensys has announced that Sudipta Bhattacharya was taking on a new role within the organisation as president of the Wonderware business unit of Invensys. In his new position, Sudipta will report to Ulf Henriksson, CEO of Invensys. Sudipta joined Invensys in August 2007 as chief software solutions officer. He came from SAP AG, where he was senior vice president of solutions management for SAP's supply chain, manufacturing and product lifecycle management applications. Wonderware supports the Signpost with a banner advert on our Home Page

Ultra-short threaded test probe for 2.54 mm centres - The new P70/G Series threaded test probe from Peak Test Services has an ultra-short overall length of only 11 mm, and is believed to be the shortest threaded probe for 2.54 mm (0.1 inch) centres on the market. The probe is available in a choice of three popular tip styles, and has a working travel of 1.5 mm.

New web site goes live - Precision Solutions' new website is now live at www.mbdaps.com. Precision Solutions promotes a wide range of specialist design, manufacturing, testing and evaluation facilities from MBDA (one of the world's leading defence companies) to the external marketplace on a contract basis. The new website is organized into Environmental, Manufacturing, Optical and Sensor Solutions capabilities.

Outstanding contribution award from MESA - GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has announced that Charlie Gifford, their Director of Lean Production Management, was presented with the MESA Outstanding Contribution Award - Technical Content 2007 at the organization's annual conference in Orlando, Florida.

High-performance smart camera family - National Instruments has announced the NI 1722 and NI 1742 Smart Cameras to provide engineers and scientists with high-performance systems at a low cost. The NI Smart Cameras are embedded devices that combine an industrial controller with an image sensor and integrate with NI vision software to offer image processing directly on the cameras, making them ideal for applications such as locating parts, inspecting packaging, verifying assembly and reading 1-D and 2-D codes.

New catalogue - Stanley's new 36-page air tool selection and configuartion catalogue helps users specify nutrunners for tightening thread fasteners including ways economically to error-proof all types of pneumatic tools.

Leading industrial cyber-security luminary signs up! - Wurldtech™ Security Technologies has named security expert Bryan Singer as Vice-President of Professional Services to lead the security team focused on improving the overall reliability, efficiency, and security of the systems and networks that operate industrial automation
See our Cyber Safe page

Precise and reliable measurements of chlorine in water - Analytical Technology's A15/79 Total Chlorine Monitor is capable of accurately measuring residual chlorine even in wastewater using a unique non contact sensing technique that provides significant advantages over traditional systems. Total chlorine measurements are essential in order to ensure safe levels of chlorine in water effluents, as excessive chlorine levels can be highly toxic and cause significant damage to river habitats.

Sensors for precise level measuring with 3A approval - With the LSP 05x Baumer offers a reliable sensor for continuous level measuring within the product segment Process Instrumentation. Due to the 3A-approved process connection, the measuring rod is suitable also for applications in the food and beverage industry as well as in pharmaceutical and biochemistry.

Automatic report generation - SyTech has announced the release of XLReporter Professional version 8.0. This version provides the key layer of technology that enables report generation in Microsoft Office Excel to be performed automatically, in the background. The product is fully compatible with Microsoft Vista and all other Windows operating systems. Support for the Office Excel family has been extended to Excel 2007 using the new Office Fluent user interface.

New AC servo motors and amplifiers for motion control applications - GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms has announced the availability of its new VersaMotion AC Servo Motors and Amplifiers, a family of cost effective motion controllers that can be combined with the company,s VersaMax Micro for low-end position control applications. The VersaMotion can also be used as a standalone single axis position controller for simple indexing or electronic gear follower applications.

Improving drying time for plastic mesh - While working on the development of a new fine mesh product, Jeremy Bond, Senior Project Engineer with Boddington's , examined their unique thermoplastic extrusion process and realised that there was scope to improve the drying method used after the plastic mesh was cooled in water. As finer mesh was produced, the existing method was unable to remove all the water, resulting in quality issues for the actual product as well as causing a wet factory floor. Jeremy looked at other drying solutions and contacted Meech International to discuss how the company's JetStream air knife drying system could help solve their problem. Meech came back with a number of options and "we found the perfect solution!"

Revised Version Of Machine Vision Handbook Published - The UK Industrial Vision Association (UKIVA) announces that the latest revision of 'The Machine Vision Handbook' is now available as a 16 page PDF from the Association's website. It can be downloaded from www.ukiva.org/pages/resources.html. Although there has been a huge leap forward in machine vision technology, both in terms of hardware and software over the last 15-20 years, the basic principles and requirements of machine vision remain largely unchanged. The 'Machine Vision Handbook', first published (in paper format only) in January 1997, has been updated with financial assistance from the Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network.

And so to bed! - Thirteen LR5KPlus twin column universal materials testing machines from Lloyd Instruments have been purchased by a major bed manufacturer for mattress and pillow testing applications. The instruments are used in a number of departments, including R & D, quality assurance, production, customer returns and competitive analysis. Nine machines are in use at the company's headquarters, three more at a second manufacturing plant and one at a remote warehouse for testing product returns.

Look at our elder sister! - The print publication Read-out which has been published for almost 40 years in Ireland, is the elder sister of the Signpost. We have now put a sample low resolution copy in PD format (PDF) on our site so that those who would like to see what it looks like. We have no plans as yet to publish in this format and will continue to print this every two months.

High-power Ethernet-compatible three-phase AC motor drives simplify machine building for continuous processing and heavy manufacturing - Baldor has extended its range of three-phase AC motor drives compatible with the Ethernet-compatible Powerlink protocol, adding three higher power versions rated for continuous outputs from 21.5 to 33.5A. The new drives extend the significant system building advantages of Powerlink to a much wider range of continuous and heavy-duty applications, including printing, papermaking, converting, textiles, plastics and steel production.

White paper on ModBus published - A white paper, titled "Using MODBUS for Process Control and Automation,"(pdf) is available for download from Moore Industries.
More on this and other news on our Fieldbus News Page

Three-phase brushless DC motor pre-driver IC - The new A4931 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe is a 3-phase brushless DC motor pre-driver integrated circuit with outputs for the direct high-current gate drive of an all N-channel power MOSFET 3-phase bridge with a maximum supply voltage of 38 V.

MAC services agreement - Yokogawa Electric has entered into a global agreement with BP International Limited, one of the world's largest energy companies, to provide Main Automation Contractor Services (MAC Services) for BP's Exploration and Production Segment. Under this arrangement, BP and Yokogawa have committed to achieve mutual success in the provision of MAC Services by managing their business relationship in an open, performance focused, and collaborative manner with a shared desire to deliver superior long term value

Newsletter introduces suspended solids and turbidity sensors - MeasureIT's latest newsletter introduces suspended solids and turbidity sensors and pinch valves. This is a short e-newsletter, quick to read and actractive in format. Newsletter producers please note!

New features to upgraded motor sizing software - Aerotech's latest version 1.02 motor sizing software features an updated user interface, improved sizing calculations, motion profile plotting and the ability to size multiple axes within the same project file. The complimentary programme is available for download and can be found on the www.aerotech.com website under the comprehensive Engineering Reference section.

The missing link between the plant floor and the Enterprise - InduSoft's RealTime Performance Management solution enables manufacturing and process plants to gather real-time data from PLCs, PCs, DCSes and historians, as well as ERP programs, MES and WRP software. This comprehensive solution also enables the definition of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - a critical analytical tool. Plant KPIs can be displayed and analyzed in real-time or in historic reports by operational and management personnel using SPC, trending, and financial impact assessment to facilitate improved organizational efficiency.

Transducers for gauging - RDP Electronics' GT series are LVDT based transducers designed specifically for the gauging industry. Particular attention is given to very precise repeatability and stability by the use of Swiss quality linear ball bearings and high quality materials throughout. They cover ranges from 1 mm to 10 mm total stroke.

New generation PXI precision resistor module family - Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) that will provide the company with a significant funding package to support the development of new testing technologies designed to protect global critical infrastructure from cyber threats.
See our CyberSafe Page

Interactive demo is easy and intuitive to use - With the soon-to-be released BAS Remote, Contemporary Controls has designed an interactive demo that illustrates the simplicity of the product's configuration. Sales Manager Joe Stasiek said the BAS Remote demo is easy and intuitive to use. "You can use almost any computer that has a web browser and is connected to the BAS Remote. No need to search for a special computer that might contain the special software." Stasiek added that this demo has great features. "It allows an individual the ability to set minimum and maximum values per I/O points and even lets them assign dimensional units."

Soccer-playing robot is first U.S. entry accepted to RoboCup! - Engineering students from the Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) at Virginia Tech have developed a bipedal humanoid robot using the National Instruments LabVIEW graphical system design platform. The Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence (DARwIn) (wmv presentation - takes a few minutes!) was originally developed to study human locomotion for the research and development of prosthetic limbs. DARwIn achieves full range of motion and accurately imitates human movement so effectively that it was quickly modified to play soccer for entry into RoboCup, an international robotic soccer competition created to promote research in robotics, artificial intelligence and related fields. As a result, it has been accepted as the first-ever U.S. entry into RoboCup in the humanoid division.